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Article ESPECIAL GRAND LODGE—APRIL 25. ← Page 4 of 4
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Especial Grand Lodge—April 25.
part in the debates , but having well considered the arguments for and against Bro . Cooke , he seconded the proposal not to confirm the minutes . Bro . CRUCEFIX observed that inconsistency was not among his failings , and that therefore he would not abandon the Grand Lodge to loss of character , without giving that body an opportunity of redeeming itself . It was well to possess a great power , but not well to use it merely on that account . He had received a letter from General Cooketo whom he had
, written almost immediately after the last Grand Lodge , and in that letter the General most emphatically denied that Bro . White had ever read the patent to him . Now this Bro . ALSTON—The date of that letter ? Bro . CRUCEFIX—The first of last month . Bro . ALSTON then rose to order . Evidence had been given to the Grand Lodge that Bro . Cooke had duly received his summons to attend
, and in consequence of his not doing so he had suffered judgment to go by default . The further continuance of the question was useless . Bro . CRUCEFIX felt obliged by the interruption of his friend , who , truth to say , had instead of proving him ( Dr . C . ) out of order had put himself out of court ; for by the very correspondence read from General Cooke to Lord Zetland it was clearly shown to demonstration that when
he was served with the summons , with all the stringency not only of masonic law but of the British and American law combined , he was actually laid up with a smart attack of the gout . He would ask of the It . W . Bro . Alston if he thought it possible for himself , under such circumstances to have complied with so charitable and masonic a mandate ? However he ( Dr . C . ) would not occupy more time of the Grand Lodge than simply to record his determination to oppose to the last so undignified and so unmasonic a sentence as the expulsion of Major-General
Cooke . The GRAND SECRETARY explained ; he had not read the patent , but sent it to Major-general Cooke , who returned it to him as being correct . * Bro . R . GARDINER ALSTON would not have taken part in the debate , but that his silence might be misconstrued into a supposition that he was not confirmed in his original position . It was stated that the Grand Lodge had been unjust , but they forgot that he had produced
authenticated copies of documents and of the notice to appear that had been served on Mr . Cooke—he could not any longer call him brother ; every opportunity had been given to him to justify or explain , but he had failed to do so . Since the last Grand Lodge he ( Bro . A ) had thought frequently upon this subject , and was satisfied with the course he had taken . The minutes were confirmed by a large majority .
GRANT OF FIFTY POUNDS TO A WIDOW . Bro . HAVERS moved , and Bro . Dr . Rowe seconded , a grant of 50 / . to Mrs . Puttock . It became Bro . Havers' duty , he said , to move for this grant in consequence of his having opposed it before . He then undertook to investigate the circumstances personally , and having done so could now certify of his own knowledge the existence of distress and the worthiness of the petitioner ' s case , as well deserving the consideration and support of Grand Lodge . The grant was voted .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Especial Grand Lodge—April 25.
part in the debates , but having well considered the arguments for and against Bro . Cooke , he seconded the proposal not to confirm the minutes . Bro . CRUCEFIX observed that inconsistency was not among his failings , and that therefore he would not abandon the Grand Lodge to loss of character , without giving that body an opportunity of redeeming itself . It was well to possess a great power , but not well to use it merely on that account . He had received a letter from General Cooketo whom he had
, written almost immediately after the last Grand Lodge , and in that letter the General most emphatically denied that Bro . White had ever read the patent to him . Now this Bro . ALSTON—The date of that letter ? Bro . CRUCEFIX—The first of last month . Bro . ALSTON then rose to order . Evidence had been given to the Grand Lodge that Bro . Cooke had duly received his summons to attend
, and in consequence of his not doing so he had suffered judgment to go by default . The further continuance of the question was useless . Bro . CRUCEFIX felt obliged by the interruption of his friend , who , truth to say , had instead of proving him ( Dr . C . ) out of order had put himself out of court ; for by the very correspondence read from General Cooke to Lord Zetland it was clearly shown to demonstration that when
he was served with the summons , with all the stringency not only of masonic law but of the British and American law combined , he was actually laid up with a smart attack of the gout . He would ask of the It . W . Bro . Alston if he thought it possible for himself , under such circumstances to have complied with so charitable and masonic a mandate ? However he ( Dr . C . ) would not occupy more time of the Grand Lodge than simply to record his determination to oppose to the last so undignified and so unmasonic a sentence as the expulsion of Major-General
Cooke . The GRAND SECRETARY explained ; he had not read the patent , but sent it to Major-general Cooke , who returned it to him as being correct . * Bro . R . GARDINER ALSTON would not have taken part in the debate , but that his silence might be misconstrued into a supposition that he was not confirmed in his original position . It was stated that the Grand Lodge had been unjust , but they forgot that he had produced
authenticated copies of documents and of the notice to appear that had been served on Mr . Cooke—he could not any longer call him brother ; every opportunity had been given to him to justify or explain , but he had failed to do so . Since the last Grand Lodge he ( Bro . A ) had thought frequently upon this subject , and was satisfied with the course he had taken . The minutes were confirmed by a large majority .
GRANT OF FIFTY POUNDS TO A WIDOW . Bro . HAVERS moved , and Bro . Dr . Rowe seconded , a grant of 50 / . to Mrs . Puttock . It became Bro . Havers' duty , he said , to move for this grant in consequence of his having opposed it before . He then undertook to investigate the circumstances personally , and having done so could now certify of his own knowledge the existence of distress and the worthiness of the petitioner ' s case , as well deserving the consideration and support of Grand Lodge . The grant was voted .